Fire alarm



- c. DE R005l FIRE ALARM F'ned May 2l. 192.3

` INI/ENTOH QEQRm WM r,

Arromvfrs Patented Nov., i8, i924@ l Margit CHARLES DE ROOS, 03? SIOUX; CETY, IOWA.

FIRE ALARM.

Application filed. May 21, 1923.

To'aZZl/wlwm' t may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES DE Roos, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sioux Cit 1, in the county of `Woodbury and Stateof owa, havel invented a new and useful improvement in Fire Alarms, of which theffollowing is a clear and exact description:

Myfinvention relates to improvements in firef-falarms, and it consists in the combinations, constructions', and arrangementsherein described and claimed.

Anobject of my invention is to provide a firealarmof the character'described in which an explosiveis ignited in the event of fire so that those in the other parts of the building in which the lire occurs may be notified. My invention is particularly well adapted for awakening sleeping persons, as in a re at night, who might otherwise meet disaster should the fire increase to any extent.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fire alarm of the character described in which the explosive is disposed in a bell-shaped container open at the time. at one end, whereby the report from the eX- plosion may be greatly amplified and the damage done-by the concussion of the explosion reduced to a minimum. lt will he noted, however, that small quantitiesl of the explosion will suffice and furthermore that damage such as might occur from a slight explosion would be of little significance in the'event of at'ruly destructive lire.

A further obj ect of mv invention is to provide a fire alarm of the character described in which the explosive employed and the fuse for igniting the explosive is entirely en` cased in a moisture-proof case when the device is not in actual use, thereby keeping the explosive and fuse in a dry condition which is essential to the successful operation of the device.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fire alarm of the character described that is simple in construction, compact in form, and that is thoroughly practical for the purpose intended.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accom Serial No. 640,518.

panying drawings, forming part of 'this application, in which Figure l is a sectional view of an embodii In carrying out my invention, I make use of a bell-shaped casing l open at its-lower end 2. The casing l is bell-shaped and constructed of a durable material so that' anyv explosion which may occur within the cas-ing will greatly amplify the report.

The casing l has a pair of partitionv chambers 3 at the inner end thereof, each of which is filled with an explosive material ll. I desire to employ an explosive which will give a loud report but in which the concussion therefrom is as small as possible. The inner walls of the chambers 3, that is, the walls facing the interior of the casing, are relatively thin, so that they may burst easily when the explosive et is consumed, and there- A by prevent the rupture of the casing l.

The shaft 5 is projected through thecasing l along the axis thereof and the exterior portion of the shaft terminates in a. ringshaped member 6. A radially extending flange 7, forming a part of the shaft 5, serves as a means'for fixing the shaft against movement relative to the casing by means ofrivets or bolts S projected therethrough.

The lower end of the shaft extends-beyondv the lower end 2 of the casing ll and has somewhat the shape of a mushroom, as shown at 9, the outer surface thereof being substantially conical. i

A conical cap 10 having a circumference equal to the circumference of the inner wall of the end 2 of the casing l, is fitted within the casing at its lower end. An inwardly extending iiange l1 forming a part of the casing 1 serves as a means for limiting the inward movement of the cap 10. A felt packing ring l2 is disposed between the flange ll and the cap l0.

The cap l0 is soldered to the member 9 of the shaft 5. It is absolutely essential that this solder be of such composition as to melt at a predetermined and relatively low temperature.

A pair of weights formed of lead, or the like, and illustrated. at 13, are disposed within the cap 19 and l'firmly secured thereto. Each of the chambers 3 has a 'fuse projected therein and extending exteriorly of the chambers for a distance of approximately two to three feet. This portion of the fuse 1i extending exterior or' the chambers in which the explosive i is conrlned, is coiled, as shown in Figure 1, and is secured adjacent its opposite end, as shown at 15, to some portion of the cap 10.

In the present instance l have shown the fuse secured adjacent its outer ends to the weights 13, although this constructionV is op- Y tional and may be varied to suit the particular requirements and conditions arising in the manufacture and'use or the device.

From the foregoing description oic the various parts of the device, the operation thereor' may be readily understood. To obtain the complete benefit from the use or my iinproved rire alarm, consider it best to iii; the devices, thereA being several used for each building, some within the walls or" the building, over the furnace, inner fines which might be the direct cause through leakage, of fire, and in any other places where spontaneous combustion might occur, or where combustible materials are storedv or permitted to accumulate.

Let us assume that one oit the devices is suspended by means of the ring t3 within the wall of a home and that the occupants olf the house are on an upper iioor asleep and that tire is started from an overheated furnace or the like, igniting the walls on the first floor. immediately upon the rise oit temperature, due to the presence of flames within the wall, the solder, by means oLt which the cap 10 is secured and supported by the mushroom-shaped portion of the shait 5, will melt and the cap 10, by virtue of the weights 13, will drop, assuming the position shown in Figure 2.

When the cap 10 drops, the Jfuses 14 are straightened out 'and larger portions of the fuses are exposed below'the lower end of the casing 1. It then remains tor the lire to ignite the fuses 111 which will readily occur, since the fuses are constructed of a highly combustible and readily7 ignited material.

l it should be noted at this time that I have provided two explosion chambers and tivo fuses. This is to make sure of the ellective operation or the device. 1t one oit the fuses 14 does not ignite, the other may be ignited and the saine rule applies where more than two fuses are used which might be necessary when the device is of a larger caliber.

`When the i''use 14 is burntto a point within the chamber 3, the explosive i will become ignited and a loud report will result to awaken the occupants of the building and this warning may'permit them to leave the4 building beifore destruction has become too great to prevent the exit and imperil liiic.

It should be noted that if desired, a lining of lire-prooi material, such as asbestos sheet* in@` may be employed on the inner side of the casing i. The purpose of this iircproof lining is to prevent the heating of the explosive prior to the time that the cap 10 was dis lodged 'trom its connection with the conical member 9. It will therefore be apparent that such lining should be principally in the upper portion o'l the casing.

I claim:

A device oi' the character described coinl'irising an explosive, a metal resonating cusing 'for holding said explosive, means toi' suspending said casing 'tree or rigid support, a fuse communicating at one end vwith said explosive, cap ar 'anged to close one end ol' said resonating casing and lined against dis lodgment therefrom by means oi" a ceinenli tious material having a relatively low liano tying temperature, said t'use being normallv coiled within said casing and ha ving i s lower end attached to said cap, and weights carried by said cap `tor causing the downward movement ont said ap when said cementi tions material is lioueiied.

CHARLES DE ROUY?. 

